Chargers up 3 spots in ESPN's power rankings post NFL draft

Chargers up 3 spots in ESPN's power rankings post NFL draft

The Chargers may be viewed as a top-six team by USA TODAY in the latest NFL power rankings following the draft, but they still have some respect to earn in the eyes of ESPN.

The sports broadcast giant has Los Angeles ranked No. 12 overall in the, which is up from their post-free-agency ranking of No. 15. However, it does speak to the fact that until the Bolts do some winning when games matter the most they’re going to be fighting an uphill battle with the media and casual NFL fans.

The Chargers allowed the third-fewest points last season, but that didn’t stop them from reloading the defense. They used their first four picks on defenders for the second time in the common draft era, landing Scouts Inc.’s seventh-ranked prospect, safety Derwin James, at No. 17.

General manager Tom Telesco recognize that despite defensive coordinator Gus Bradley getting the most out of his personnel in 2017 that there were still many holes to fill which is why he went defense-heavy in 2018 early on.

Telesco’s wisdom should pay off with a unit performing even better in the secondary with the return of cornerback Jason Verrett and the addition of safety Derwin James. When combining that fact with the talent Los Angeles added and is returning on offense, and it would appear that USA TODAY’s ranking of No. 6 is closer to accurate than ESPN’s mark of No. 12.